This morning things were rather noisy here and I was woken up to the sound of my 2 teenagers arguing about pig food at 6.30am! Apparently we've run out - no one tells me when the bags is 1/4 full though - they wait until there's nothing left and then complain grrrr. Well that's kids for you I guess.
I'm off out this afternoon to my little gardening job which I enjoy. It's nice to get some work done in an orderly and purely ornamental garden and see other people too. Sometimes I think I spend too much time here at home and other times I relish the fact that I don't need other people around me constantly. I'm quite happy surrounded by the animals and pottering about as I do most days.
What makes you happy?
Thursday, 29 April 2010
The Grass is Always Greener!
The grass here is amazing right now - very lush, thick and green. Apart from the part of the garden that we wanted to have grassed! That's just a bunch of weeds that look somewhat bare in patches and altogether shabby.
What is supposed to be my summer vegetable patch is growing huge tufts of fantastic grass, in between the stagnant pools of water and mud, oh and not forgetting the spring which is still flowing in the middle of the garden unfortunately.
The weather is supposed to be glorious for the next 10 days so it would be ideal to get outside and get planting - but not me and not yet. I am not giving up hope though because I will have a vegetable garden this year, like the last 2 and we will get a good variety of crops. I just need more patience and a rotovator!
Still no sign of bantam chicks or turkey poults and the piglets are getting bigger by the day - cheekier too. Their mum, Charlotte, spent half of yesterday outside in what will be my melon patch, rooting around, grazing happily and wallowing in a hole she made that I filled with water for her - result one very happy but filthy pig!
What is supposed to be my summer vegetable patch is growing huge tufts of fantastic grass, in between the stagnant pools of water and mud, oh and not forgetting the spring which is still flowing in the middle of the garden unfortunately.
The weather is supposed to be glorious for the next 10 days so it would be ideal to get outside and get planting - but not me and not yet. I am not giving up hope though because I will have a vegetable garden this year, like the last 2 and we will get a good variety of crops. I just need more patience and a rotovator!
Still no sign of bantam chicks or turkey poults and the piglets are getting bigger by the day - cheekier too. Their mum, Charlotte, spent half of yesterday outside in what will be my melon patch, rooting around, grazing happily and wallowing in a hole she made that I filled with water for her - result one very happy but filthy pig!
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Yay More Friends On The Way
The village we live in is quite small compared to others, about 1000 people live here, mostly Bulgarian or Bulgarian Turkish. There are 3 English families live here full time but many more have bought properties here either for investment purposes or as holiday homes.
We've met some of the other ex-pats with houses and they're a nice bunch of people. A lovely couple that we met last year who have a house at the other end of the village are right now on their way across Europe and I believe tonight they're in Hungary so should be here within the next couple of days hopefully. Plus we have another set of friends and their 4 children hopefully moving to Bulgaria soon. So this summer should be the best so far with lots of good company, hopefully a few BBQ's and laughs along the way.
So far we've made a lot of friends from all over the UK and further afield and some great Bulgarian friends too, but ti's still nice to be able to converse easily in your native language. The kids are doing great at learning not only to understand Bulgarian but also to read and write it, I'm not sure I'll ever get up to their standard though but I do try. At least we have some fun while trying to learn and mistakes often turn into jokes!
We've met some of the other ex-pats with houses and they're a nice bunch of people. A lovely couple that we met last year who have a house at the other end of the village are right now on their way across Europe and I believe tonight they're in Hungary so should be here within the next couple of days hopefully. Plus we have another set of friends and their 4 children hopefully moving to Bulgaria soon. So this summer should be the best so far with lots of good company, hopefully a few BBQ's and laughs along the way.
So far we've made a lot of friends from all over the UK and further afield and some great Bulgarian friends too, but ti's still nice to be able to converse easily in your native language. The kids are doing great at learning not only to understand Bulgarian but also to read and write it, I'm not sure I'll ever get up to their standard though but I do try. At least we have some fun while trying to learn and mistakes often turn into jokes!
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Starting to Take Shape
After a couple of busy days in the garden I've noticed more and more seedlings starting to show themselves which is inspiring. Spinach, courgettes, squash and cucumbers are coming along nicely. The tomato and pepper seedlings are also doing well and hopefully will be in the ground soon.
We've been building an enclosed and dog proof patch for melons to grow, with mesh sides so they can climb, and slightly raised beds to make weeding a little easier on my back. later on in the year the raised beds can be either converted into a hot bed system or we can use the posts that are already in and create a polytunnel type structure and extend the growing season a while.
Today we're having a "Quiet" day as last night we had a wonderful BBQ and a few drinks.....well maybe more than a few lol. Although I don't feel ill or hungover I am really tired, slightly chilly and low on enthusiasm so have managed less than I'd have liked to achieve but the jobs needing done will still be here tomorrow. I did get some more strawberry plants in, helped hubby to sort through some stuff in the small tool room (which will be my utility room at some point) and have a lovely pan of pease pudding on the go which will be lovely at tea time with our ham salad.
Now I think it's time to "Veg Out" in front of the TV until animal and human feeding time! Normal life will return tomorrow lol
We've been building an enclosed and dog proof patch for melons to grow, with mesh sides so they can climb, and slightly raised beds to make weeding a little easier on my back. later on in the year the raised beds can be either converted into a hot bed system or we can use the posts that are already in and create a polytunnel type structure and extend the growing season a while.
Today we're having a "Quiet" day as last night we had a wonderful BBQ and a few drinks.....well maybe more than a few lol. Although I don't feel ill or hungover I am really tired, slightly chilly and low on enthusiasm so have managed less than I'd have liked to achieve but the jobs needing done will still be here tomorrow. I did get some more strawberry plants in, helped hubby to sort through some stuff in the small tool room (which will be my utility room at some point) and have a lovely pan of pease pudding on the go which will be lovely at tea time with our ham salad.
Now I think it's time to "Veg Out" in front of the TV until animal and human feeding time! Normal life will return tomorrow lol
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Updated Piglet Pics
Breeding pigs was something we just kind of fell into, not a truly planned event but needless to say it's been an experience. One that we will repeat.
The piglets are a joy to have most of the time, they're happy, funny and so friendly, but that doesn't mean they won't end up on a plate! Raising any animal for meat is a job on it's own. There's time, energy, patience and also the monetary factor to consider. Animal feed is not cheap and by the time you work out how many hours has gone into caring for the animal realistically you can buy meat from a supermarket for the same price. It's the knowledge of knowing the animal has had the best life possible, been fed properly, cared for and loved and also met it's end without being overly stressed, man handled or treated badly.
Our pigs all seem to enjoy their lives, they love a good itch and will follow you around like dogs. Mind you it's not all plain sailing as they can be extremely vocal at feeding times and do occasionally push us mere humans out of the way if we're not quick enough putting feed bowls down. They also can be quite destructive but that's because they're so nosy! We used to take our first pig, Mikey, for walks on a lead - that gave the locals something to gossip about ;)
For me, raising pigs has been challenging at times but very worthwhile. We do eat pork and by far the best we've ever eaten has come from our own pigs. Last year we tried gammon and bacon too with great success. But mostly I like keeping them as they're intelligent, clean and are great with people. I think they're cute too - I mean how could anyone not love a face like this....
The piglets are a joy to have most of the time, they're happy, funny and so friendly, but that doesn't mean they won't end up on a plate! Raising any animal for meat is a job on it's own. There's time, energy, patience and also the monetary factor to consider. Animal feed is not cheap and by the time you work out how many hours has gone into caring for the animal realistically you can buy meat from a supermarket for the same price. It's the knowledge of knowing the animal has had the best life possible, been fed properly, cared for and loved and also met it's end without being overly stressed, man handled or treated badly.
Our pigs all seem to enjoy their lives, they love a good itch and will follow you around like dogs. Mind you it's not all plain sailing as they can be extremely vocal at feeding times and do occasionally push us mere humans out of the way if we're not quick enough putting feed bowls down. They also can be quite destructive but that's because they're so nosy! We used to take our first pig, Mikey, for walks on a lead - that gave the locals something to gossip about ;)
For me, raising pigs has been challenging at times but very worthwhile. We do eat pork and by far the best we've ever eaten has come from our own pigs. Last year we tried gammon and bacon too with great success. But mostly I like keeping them as they're intelligent, clean and are great with people. I think they're cute too - I mean how could anyone not love a face like this....
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Wandering Photo's
As it's another rainy day my choices of what to do are limited - it's either housework or blogging, and I know which one would win any day!
I've been out with the camera taking pot shots at anything that caught my eye and I thought I'd let you see a small insight into my daily surroundings and how they're changing with the seasons. Then I best get on and clean this house!
The locals will be out later collecting snails as they're considered somewhat of a delicacy here - mine will be staying put in the garden!
Some of the many trees we have are in blossom again, while others have finished already - parts of the garden are spotted with fallen blossom that looks like confetti.
This is our shortcut from the neighbours house - across the paddock, which will hopefully be plowed and have lucerne planted on in the autumn, through the orchard and into our garden.
There's a small cluster of these trees on one part of our land and I've no idea what they are! They look a bit prehistoric, don't produce fruit and are the last to be getting their leaves. The branches are all odd shaped. Can you tell me what it is?
I've been out with the camera taking pot shots at anything that caught my eye and I thought I'd let you see a small insight into my daily surroundings and how they're changing with the seasons. Then I best get on and clean this house!
This is our shortcut from the neighbours house - across the paddock, which will hopefully be plowed and have lucerne planted on in the autumn, through the orchard and into our garden.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Time to Start "Chick Watch"
According to our calendar the first batch of chicks are due any day now so I've been out and checked on all of our "Soon to be mums" today. Our broody bantam hen is still happily sitting on her eggs although we aren't entirely sure how many are there now. She's seems well but it does worry me that she decided the eaves of the barn were a good place to nest!
There are 2 turkeys trying to incubate one clutch of eggs and another sitting on a second batch of eggs this morning, although she may move off them later in the day. Only the layers are not trying to hatch babies yet this year and they're all happy scratching around and doing what chickens do. Maybe I'll try to get another of the bantam hens to sit on layers eggs to get some larger chickens. I'm probably going to have to give some bantam chicks away - although they're nice, quite decorative and friendly we really don't need any more. So if you want some small ornamental chickens please let me know.
I find that after the chicks are hatched the easiest way to ensure most of them reach adulthood is to take them away from their parent, put them in a large box with a heat lamp, water and food and keep them warm for a couple of weeks. Then they usually go outside into a pen away from the other birds until they're large enough to start integrating with their respective flock. Other people may have more success leaving things alone and letting them be raised by mum but we find that we often lose them before they're 3 weeks old.
I've done a spot of weeding today but the weather isn't great and has been trying to rain for most of the day. Yesterday I got some more seeds put in pots and also planted some ginger. It's the first time I've really tried growing ginger so we'll see what happens, I'm really curious to see what the foliage looks like. Are you growing anything you haven't tried before?
There are 2 turkeys trying to incubate one clutch of eggs and another sitting on a second batch of eggs this morning, although she may move off them later in the day. Only the layers are not trying to hatch babies yet this year and they're all happy scratching around and doing what chickens do. Maybe I'll try to get another of the bantam hens to sit on layers eggs to get some larger chickens. I'm probably going to have to give some bantam chicks away - although they're nice, quite decorative and friendly we really don't need any more. So if you want some small ornamental chickens please let me know.
I find that after the chicks are hatched the easiest way to ensure most of them reach adulthood is to take them away from their parent, put them in a large box with a heat lamp, water and food and keep them warm for a couple of weeks. Then they usually go outside into a pen away from the other birds until they're large enough to start integrating with their respective flock. Other people may have more success leaving things alone and letting them be raised by mum but we find that we often lose them before they're 3 weeks old.
I've done a spot of weeding today but the weather isn't great and has been trying to rain for most of the day. Yesterday I got some more seeds put in pots and also planted some ginger. It's the first time I've really tried growing ginger so we'll see what happens, I'm really curious to see what the foliage looks like. Are you growing anything you haven't tried before?
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